


A Whole New World

by ultchangki



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, Sad Lee Minhyuk, Supernatural Elements, also shownu and wonho are dating, and also depressed, and is an astronomy major, angst maybe, changkyun doesnt know that, everyones happy, fluff definitely, hyungwon isnt dating anyone but hes also uninterested, i hope you enjoy, idk how to do tags lol, idk how to explain lol, jooheon is a psych major, jooheons a mess but we love him anyway, kihyuns in love with changkyun, kinda supernatural, minhyuks an artist, minhyuks really smart too, not... really tho, so its fine, they both love day6 lol, theyre college students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultchangki/pseuds/ultchangki
Summary: Minhyuk is an college student with a passion for art. He thinks nothing much of it until he realizes everything he creates manifests into reality one way or another. Issues rise when all of the negative things he once created come to life as well. Once he learns what he's capable of, he's on a route to discovering hisself. With Jooheon by his side, it becomes Joohyuk against the world.





	1. Strawberries and Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> hey!!! i really hope you enjoy this. it has been so long since i have written a proper fic like this, and originally this was going to be a text au until i was inspired to write it here. i really hope this makes you happy! i dont know what else to say other than bear with me; it has been a long time since ive created. but alas... lets get to it! joohyuk rise!

Minhyuk checks the time on his phone, displaying that it is 11:43, meaning that he  has  been awake for precisely six hours. There really is no reason why he still lays in bed in his pajamas, given he  has been awake for a quarter of the day and his first class of the day starts in 17 minutes. He sluggishly drags himself out of the bed to do his basic daily routine; brush his teeth, put on one of his generic grey sweatshirts with a pair of skinny jeans, grab a bottle of water, and go. Simple, right? No reason it should take him 20 minutes a day, but it does. Most kids would see the clock at 11:57 and try to make a run for it, but Minhyuk really couldn’t care less. “See you later, Wonho” he says to his dorm mate before walking the 7 minute trek to class. 

 

He snaps his fingers to the beat of the song playing in his headphones, Troye Sivan’s “Suburbia”, while humming out loud. Minhyuk makes his way into class at around 12:13, unbothered. “Late again, Lee”. His professor has been on Minhyuk’s back over attendance for the past few months, but he makes up for it by getting good marks on his tests. Absent or present, Minhyuk remained the best student in his astronomy classes. Well, even if he was present physically, he truly was never present mentally; he simply just didn’t care. Resting in his hand, he checks his messages for the first time in a few hours.

 

**Changkyun (8:56 am)**

cmon hyuk hyung i know ur awake

 

**Changkyun**

//: ur gonna b late again if u dont get ready

 

**Changkyun**

i know you dont care but i do )): the sooner you deal with your class sooner you can start a new piece and we both know how much youd enjoy working on something new! 

 

**Changkyun**

jesus christ

 

-

 

**Changkyun (10:42 am)**

pls 

 

**Changkyun**

sometimes i forget YOURE the older one…

 

-

 

**Changkyun (11:35 am)**

you have 25 minutes!! it shouldnt take you long to get ready and if u start now maybe youll be on time :D

 

**Changkyun**

plus i just finished my chem class and my next class doesnt start until 12:45 so maybe i can meet u??

 

**Changkyun**

minhyukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

 

-

 

**Changkyun (12:17)**

you were late again werent you

 

**Minhyuk**

sorry i couldnt meet uuuuu

 

**Changkyun**

i take that as a yes

 

**Minhyuk**

you really think so low of me

 

**Changkyun**

ahhh so u WERENT late

 

**Minhyuk**

well...

 

**Changkyun**

i dont know what to do with you.. i rlly worry abt u, u know?

  
  


Minhyuk rolled his eyes. This kid really acts like he’s his dad.

 

**Minhyuk**

theres no need to my dude

 

**Changkyun**

mhmmmm.. anyway, im back at your dorm rn and im talking to wonho which is why your state of health peaked my interest. he said when you left you seemed more “dead” than usual. should i ask?

 

**Minhyuk**

whats there to ask? you know how wonho is … hes just being dramatic

 

**Changkyun**

)): WELL i still worry so im staying over tonight … that makes both wonho AND me dramatic :p

 

**Minhyuk**

lmao great u want a reward or smtn

 

**Changkyun**

no ill just ask hyunwoo to get a cake and we will write on the top “love hyunshownu wonhoseokie and imkyunnie!!” 

 

**Minhyuk**

dumb nicknames to say the least… see u tonight tho love

 

He puts his phone down and watches the clock, every tick and tock more noticeable than the last. The professor seems to be talking but surely enough, Minhyuk couldn't hear a word coming out of his mouth. It wasn't rare that he zoned out so it truly didn't bother him. In that time, he simply found himself thinking about everything his mind could fathom. 

 

He thought about how much he hated astronomy. The subject wasn't bad but he just hated it because he hated getting out of bed against his own will. 

 

His first choice was never astronomy either, but it was a way to compromise with his parents. They wanted him to have a scientific degree, but he didn't want to satisfy them so he chose the most unreasonable thing he could think of. It was fine anyway; he knew he was going to be an artist in the end and this was just all to temporarily keep his parents content. Minhyuk didn't want to lose his family yet. He knew it would happen soon, it was inevitable. His parents would lose their minds to discover he not only would pursue art, but it was also more likely that he would marry a man than a woman. 

 

Whatever, he knows it’s going to end poorly for him so he just doesn’t care at this point. He just shrugs it off and pulls out his sketchbook and favorite pencil.

 

Half of his sketchbook is his hopes and dreams and the other half is practically an archive of every negative emotion he has ever felt. He often either draws things that will put him in a happier state of mind, or things that will allow him to wallow in his negativity a little while longer. He’s quite confident about his art, which is weird considering he isn’t confident about anything else. There is a lot he would never admit, but pride regarding his talent was not one of them. Minhyuk takes his pencil and lays down a few foundational strokes. Over the years, he had inherited the skill that allows him to draw while it looks like he is taking quality notes. It was quite useful; no one ever questioned him. Upon his maybe fiftieth stroke, the room became quiet. There was still banter in large quantities, but Minhyuk had centered so much focus into his work that he was sent to his own world. 

 

By the time he finished his art, there were five minutes until class dismissal. The kid smiles at the thought of his near freedom. He taps his pencil rhythmically to the song he was listening to at the moment, “Thank You For The Venom” by My Chemical Romance, while reflecting on what he had just created. One of the two things he completed was a piece representing his  _ true _ family, Hyunwoo, Hoseok, and Changkyun. It was them enjoying the cake his brother-like figure had mentioned earlier. The scent of the strawberries radiated through the paper, along with the chocolate aroma as well. He felt satisfied, and prayed that the younger wasn’t bluffing about the dessert. As for the other work of art, it was an illustration representing himself and the loneliness he has been recently bombarded by, decorated with the lyrics of DAY6’s “I Need Somebody” around it.

 

_ Ding. _

 

The bell rings in a tone of happiness, as he is finally free from hell. Minhyuk has always been the last to enter class, and first to leave. He manages to successfully keep that schedule, but that truly is the peak of his organizational skills. In the hallway, he somehow manages to drop  _ every single thing _ in his possession. He sighs in the key of self deprecation, but before he can reach his stuff on his own, another boy swoops down in attempt to assist. All the notebooks rest open, with his sketchbook open on his most recent page as well. 

 

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to help me. I appreciate it, though.” He clears his throat, voice husky from not properly speaking at all today (other than his farewell to Hoseok). “I know I don’t  _ have  _ to, but I figured it would be kind if I did!” 

 

The other boy passed Minhyuk half of his notebooks in the most delicate manner he has ever encountered. He glanced down at the sketchbook and let a smile out at Minhyuk. “That’s my favorite song. It’s so beautiful… it really compliments the art you drew, which is also beautiful as well.” Minhyuk looks up at the kid across from him. “I appreciate it” he says with a soft tone to compliment his soft smile painted on face. 

 

This is the first real chance Minhyuk had to  _ actually _ take a look at the kid. He had a soft and sweet face to counter with his hideous choice in clothing. Minhyuk wanted to focus on the pure energy that the others smile radiated, but he was too distracted by the fact his shirt looked like it was on acid. 

 

“Thank you so much” Minhyuk said as he rose. “Oh! No need to thank me at all!” the other shook his hand, and then he was off.

 

It was weird… not many people in the university seemed to pay a second to him, but that one stranger spent multiple minutes he was not obligated to use on Lee Minhyuk. He would be lying if he said that didn’t make his day.

 

He was one of the luckier kids. His schedule for that day consisted of only one class, and then after that he was free to wander off and be elsewhere. Minhyuk’s first choice happened to always be his art studio. It wasn’t a real  _ studio _ but to a poor college student, it was. In reality, his friend Hyunwoo took over the family business of shoe selling. The building was nearly two centuries old and carried an extreme amount of family history, as it used to double as a shoe making and selling business. Hyunwoo knew Minhyuk needed a workspace, so he allows him to work in the abandoned room once used for shoe creation. It was empty other than a single table with a stool for seating, and the size could not have exceeded 400 square feet. To anyone else, this was just an eerie room in the back of a store but to Minhyuk this was his world.

 

He painted the walls with extensive murals. The artist strongly believed that a change of scenery was the most important thing for generating ideas, so he would paint over every mural, adding a more beautiful one a few months later. 

 

Minhyuk enters through the back door to get to his studio, not wanting to bother Hyunwoo who might be  _ actually _ working today. He puts down his possessions and gets ready to create, letting out a sigh of contentment. He doesn’t want to do too much today, but it would be nice to do some quick stress relieving sketches.

 

Everytime his pencil, pen, paint brush, charcoal, or anything in his hand even  _ touches _ the surface he is creating on, he feels a wave of serotonin rush through his body. The concept of him creating something so amazing makes him elated. He created a bouquet of hydrangeas using black ink to capture in the best way possible how he believed there still could be beauty found in darkness. He thought of his best friend during the creating process; Minhyuk wasn’t too good at expressing his emotions, but he knew he loved Changkyun with all of his being. 

 

His cell rings.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey! Where are you?”

 

“I’m at the studio, why?”

 

“I’m out with Shownu. He left the store early once I told him about getting the cake. We were wondering if we should bring it to you or if you’d meet us?”

 

They really got a cake. Wow. 

 

“Oh, I finished pretty quickly. I’ll meet you at my place. What kind did you get?’

 

“We tried something new this time. They had this strawberry cake with chocolate ganache as the icing with chocolate covered strawberries on the top. I nearly cried… it sounded so beautiful. We didn’t get any message written on the top since you seemed to not find my idea as great as I did.”

 

“Changkyun, I hated it, and that’s me being  _ nice. _ ”

 

“Tomato, tomato. Anyway, see you in…”

 

“10 minutes. I’m on my way now. Tell Shownu I said thank you! See you both soon.”

 

“Alright! I have to stop at my dorm to put my stuff down, and then we will be on the way!”

 

Walking home wasn’t the wisest, considering the sun doing it’s best attempt to ignite him and he still has not eaten anything. Lucky for Minhyuk, him “near collapsing on the sidewalk” serves as a red flag and the next driver stops to offer him a ride. The pleasant greeting of, “You look awful.” was given while he climbs into the passenger seat. 

“Thank you, I suppose?” 

“No, seriously. You seem like you’re going to die.” The driver says, gesturing for Minhyuk to put on his seatbelt. 

“Thanks, that’s my face. To the dorms, please.”

“Did you even eat today?”

Minhyuk reflects on the last time he did eat something, realising it was nearly 18 hours. “No, not yet. I didn’t have time.” 

The driver shakes his head in disappointment. “Bullshit. There’s chicken in the glove compartment. Enjoy.” 

Honestly, glove compartment chicken wasn’t the weirdest thing Minhyuk has encountered, and he was hungry so he decided to take some. At the red light, the driver finally gets a good look at who’s in the passenger seat shoving chicken into his face. 

“Still stupid as ever, huh, Minhyuk? C’mon, you have to take better care of yourself than this."

Minhyuk shrugged. “Last time I checked, you were younger than me.” 

“By not even  _ a full month _ .” 

The passenger chuckled. “Still a baby, Kihyun.” 

Kihyun rolls his eyes and ends the conversation there. He isn’t really in the mood to fight with the annoying blonde today.

Kihyun and Minhyuk have had their fair share of mini disputes, all in the name of Minhyuk’s wellbeing. He wants Minhyuk to thrive, but seemed he didn’t have the same desire (which happened to piss Kihyun off).  He didn’t know the older too well, but he was good enough at reading people to know something was  _ always  _ up. 

 

“Anyway, despite your stupidity, how was your day?” 

“I don’t know, I know Kyunnie and Shownu bought cake so that will be the highlight of my day. Other than that, I was late to class again and also dropped all of my possessions in the hallway, so…” 

Kihyun bursts out laughing. Minhyuk’s stupidity never fails to take him by surprise. 

“It was all good though. A kid stopped to help me and I also learned his favorite song is I Need Somebody by DAY6. I always appreciate someone with quality music taste.” 

“Well, that’s good. Another friend of mine really likes them, too. Maybe I’ll get into them too, we’ll see.” 

Minhyuk’s eyes widened with excitement. “I will literally make you a playlist tonight, and you will stream it all.”

“Sure, if you plan on eating tomorrow.” 

“Fine. It’s worth it, I suppose.”

 

The car ride ends not long after. 

“Thank you for picking me up, I don’t know how long I would’ve been able to bear it if you didn’t save me.” 

Kihyun lets out an annoyed chuckle. “I believe that’s why about 110% of doctors recommend you actually  _ eat _ food.” 

Minhyuk rolls his eyes as he gets out the car. “And about 130% of doctors recommend you grow taller than 5 feet.” 

“ _ I am 5’9 _ .” 

“Yeah, 59 cm. Anyway, thank you again for the ride. I have to go, there’s cake waiting for me.” 

Kihyun nodded as Minhyuk walked off inside. 

“Minhyuk hyung?” 

He turned around to see Kihyun playing with his fingers. 

“Yes?” 

“Could you tell Changkyun I said hi?” 

The older rolled his eyes and let out a laugh, while giving a thumbs up to the side as he walked away.

 

Hoseok opened the dorm door before Minhyuk even had a chance to knock. Hoseok often waited out for Minhyuk and considered it his responsibility to make sure the younger got home safe. “Finally! It took you too long to get home, did you go to the studio?” “Yeah, are Shownu hyung and Changkyun here yet?” The loud “HYUK HYUNG!” scream from the other room seems to answer  _ that _ question. Changkyun comes running into the room with a huge smile on his face. “HYUKIE HYUNG LOOK LOOK!” The boy pulled a huge bouquet of black and blue hydrangeas out from behind his back. Minhyuk’s eyes widen, considering the coincidence and delicately feels the flowers to see if they are real. “Where’d you get these from?” “I found them on my doorstep when Shownu hyung and I stopped there.” Tears and hope glaze his eyes. “Do you think I have a secret admirer hyung?” Minhyuk lets out a soft laugh and hugs the younger. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did, Kyunnie.”  
  


Hyunwoo walks on over, putting one arm around his boyfriend and the other around his Minhyuk. 

“Shall we eat?”

Hoseok lights up and places a soft kiss on Hyunwoo’s cheek, before running into the kitchen to get seated for the cake. Changkyun runs in after and sits next to the older, playing with his black hair and poking his cheeks. They’re both laughing together and Hyunwoo strolls over to cut the cake and join in on the fun. The pure positive energy in the room causes Minhyuk’s face naturally curves into a wide smile. He loves his family, and they love him. 

 

 


	2. Floral Disbelief

Minhyuk takes out his phone, and checks the time. It’s only half past 7 and he doesn’t have much work to do, so he starts making Kihyun’s playlist.

“Minhyukie hyung.” Changkyun whines for Minhyuk’s attention.

“What do you want, Kyun.”

“I want to know why you’re on your phone and not paying _any_ attention to me.” He pouts in attempt to guilt the blonde. Minhyuk rolls his eyes and walks over to the couch where the younger was sitting and joins.

“Calm down, I was just making a playlist for Kihyun.”

“Why are you making a playlist for Ki hyung?” He scoots over and rests his head into Minhyuk’s lap, forcing him to play with his hair.

“He told me he wanted to get into DAY6, and I said I’d help by making him a playlist. Also, he wanted me to tell you he said hi.”

The black haired boy laughs. “What time is it now?”

Minhyuk checks his phone with his right hand, left hand still playing with the younger’s hair. “It’s 7:43 now. Why?”

“Nothing much, I was thinking about visiting him, actually. Maybe I will stay the night? I don’t know.”

“You want to stay over there with him, but not me? This is peak betrayal.”

Changkyun looks up at Minhyuk and pouts. “Fine, I’ll just go over tomorrow night. But only if you go with me!”

“You’re crazy.”

“Maybe so! But I could just go right now…”

“Fine! Just… stay here.”

The younger kid smiles in satisfaction. “Well, what were your plans tonight, hyung?”

“I was just going to, I don’t know, sketch random things. I’ve been meaning to ask you, though.”

“Yeah?”

Minhyuk inhaled gently. “You really don’t know where the flowers came from?”

“Good question. Like I said, I was hoping it was a secret admirer. Why so?”

“You know, just curiosity.”

“You think too much.”

“Excuse me?”

“You think too much! Why are you now thinking about that now? We can just relax for now, okay hyung?”

The older sighs. “Fine, I’ll _relax._ ”

 

Changkyun smiles and gets up to fix two plates of cake, one for him and the older. Walking back over, he grabs the older’s sketchbook, pencil, and the television remote as well. He settles down next to the tired blonde, passing him his art supplies and cake slice while putting on a movie to watch as well.

“Should we invite Showho hyungs out to watch with us as well?” inquires the younger as he scoots closer to Minhyuk.

“No, they haven’t been able to see each other much later, so maybe it’s best we let them get in their alone time in for the night.” He takes out his pencil and sketchbook, tapping it against the the paper as he thinks. “Shouldn’t you alert Kihyun that you’re not coming over so he isn’t waiting out for you?”

“Oh yeah! I should do that.”

 

**Changkyun**

hey ki hyungie! i just wanted to let you know i cant come over tonight )):

 

**Kihyun**

dont worry, its all okay!! ill miss u though ):<

 

**Changkyun**

no need to! ill come over tomorrow instead and hyuk hyung is coming too!

 

**Kihyun**

wow so ur just gonna invite people over to my dorm without my permission huh… I See The Kind Of Person You Are

 

**Changkyun**

oops…

 

**Changkyun**

kihyunnieeeeeeeeeee can minhyuk and i come over tomorrow night!!!!

 

**Kihyun**

:/

 

**Kihyun**

whtevr

 

**Changkyun**

:D see u tomorrow!!

 

“What are you drawing, hyung?”

The artist shows the quick sketch he created to the younger. It’s slightly torn — his sketchbook seemingly suffered some damage from the prior fall — but the delicate strokes gently placed with proper shading to compliment distracted from the state of the paper.

“You, again.”

Changkyun breathed in awe while caressing the page. It’s him holding a new bouquet of roses with a name tag attached delicately to one of the shorter stems. The smile in the picture makes him smile in real life as well. “You’re so talented,” he lightly lets out. His eyes start to water; Minhyuk’s art really is that powerful.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he looks up, “what did you mean by ‘you, again’? You’ve drawn me before?”

The artist shrugs. “I guess you could say that.”

“When?” Changkyun takes a bite of his cake, and lowers the television volume to hear the older more effectively.

“I always draw people and things that mean a lot to me. In class I drew you, me, and Showho hyungs enjoying cake together as our family, and at the studio I drew a bouquet for you.”

The younger smiles and swallows before speaking, as he has a genuine question. “Was it a specific type of cake?”

Minhyuk thinks back before answering, “Strawberry and chocolate I believe?” absentmindedly while shoving a bite of the similarly described cake into his mouth. The younger’s eyes widen focused on the cake, and then focused on Minhyuk.

“Unrelated, what kind of bouquet did you draw? Actually, if you don’t mind, can you show me the piece?”

The artist flips through his archive of creativity bursts laid out in front of him, passing it to the younger once he reaches the desired page. Changkyun rises, taking the sketchbook with him to the table where his mysterious hydrangeas were sat in a tall glass of water. His eyes alternated carefully between the two, and it nearly seemed like the sketch was a flawless recreation of the flowers right in front of him.

“Hyung, can you come here a second?”

Minhyuk groans and unhappily gets off of the couch, glaring at the younger for disrupting his comfort.

“Does this look… oddly similar?”

The older was used to the younger’s exaggerations, so it happened to take him by shock to see that the two scenes were actually indistinguishable. Everything from the delicate shading of the petals to the orientation of the flowers were the same.

“Holy sh-”

A semi aggressive knock on the door resulted in terrifying them both. Minhyuk remains unbothered and continues searching for a difference as Changkyun walks to the door. To his surprise, it was none other than Yoo Kihyun with his hands behind his back.

“I know you said you’d come over tomorrow, but I found these and decided to- what’s Minhyuk doing?”

Kihyun stares and Changkyun glances back at the older companion whose face was nestled in the bouquet inquisitively.

“Sorry, we’re kind of in the middle of something.”

“Oh, don’t worry!” Kihyun’s skin flushes a shade of bright red. “I just wanted to give these to you and I’ll be on my way.” He places a bouquet of roses in the hands of the younger, leading his jaw to drop in shock. Minhyuk removes his head from the flowers upon hearing the word _roses._ “I assumed you would take better care of them my roommate, so I decided to pass them on to you. Goodnight!” Kihyun then vanishes in thin air, like he was never there to begin with.

Changkyun sprints over to Minhyuk, as Minhyuk messily flips to the page he drew not too long ago of roses. The younger’s eyes water in astonishment while the older paces in the kitchen. The roses, too, look the _exact_ same.

“Do you think you did this by any chance?”

Minhyuk abruptly shakes his head. “There’s no way, _there’s no-_ ”

“But… it’s the _exact_ same. Is that not… odd to yo-”

“It’s _very_ odd. I just- how is that even close to possible? It could just be… a coincidence?”

Changkyun pauses to think before suggesting, “Then, let's test it out.”

“How, Kyun?”

“You know how Wonho hyung is afraid of rodents?”

“Changky-”

“Draw a hamster, and make the setting his room.”

“I don’t know if that’s too good of an idea.”

“Just try it, okay?”

Minhyuk sighs, not knowing what to expect next. His thoughts are too scattered to even rationally consider not complying.

“Make it cute, too!” Changkyun says with a bright smile, eyes laced with wonder and fear given their current situation.

About two minutes later, almost finished with the sketch, the artist fetches a pink colored pencil, drawing a heart on the head of the hamster. He finishes it off with a signature. “Now what?”

“We wait, I guess.”

Changkyun hops back on the couch and resumes the movie like they haven’t just discovered the breakthrough of the century, or at least Minhyuk’s life. He goes back into the movie and indulges on the mystery cake. Minhyuk slowly walks over and joins him, sitting the way they sat before everything hit the fan.

 

Right when they’ve settled, a shriek arises from the back room. The couch residents quickly snap their heads back to see what the hell is going on.

The door opens and out runs a screaming Hoseok, followed by squeaks and an annoyed Hyunwoo.

“WHY IS THERE A RAT IN OUR FUCKING DORM?”

Changkyun runs over and cups the rodent in his hand while caressing it. “It’s a HAMSTER and BE NICE.” He coos at it. “I’m keeping it.”

Hoseok angrily shuffles over to the couch and sits, claiming Changkyun’s unfinished cake as his own. Minhyuk walks over to Changkyun who forgot the task at hand and is caressing the fluff in his hand.

“Gimme.”

Hyunwoo settles on the couch with Hoseok as the younger passes the hamster to Minhyuk. He rubs the head as the hamster squeaks, and he moves his hand to reveal a pink heart on the head of the dark brown hamster. Minhyuk leans closer to his brother like companion. “Oh my god, Changkyun,” he whispers. “Do you know what this means?”

“Of course!” he whisper screams back, snatching the hamster. “I have a new friend who needs a new home, let’s go.”

“What? Go where?”

“The pet store! -- BYE SHOWHO HYUNGS -- It already even has a name!”

“Which is?”

Hyunwoo turns around to question the scheming kids. “Where?”

“We are going to the pet store to get things for Ki!” the younger exclaims, pulling Minhyuk out the door and shutting it behind him.

“I didn’t even get a chance to get my shoes, Changkyun.” Minhyuk opens the door to grab his sandals and a pair for Changkyun, who also forgot his. “And why Ki?” he asks while putting his shoes on.

“It looks like Kihyunnie hyung!” He shoves the hamster in his hyungs face. It squeaks at him and Minhyuk does his best to not fall for the rodent.

“Well, if it looks like Kihyun, why don’t we take him on the run with us?”

Changkyun’s eyes gleamed. “AMAZING idea.” He bolts down the hall with Minhyuk trailing after. He knocks on Kihyun’s door with his right hand, holding Ki in his left. Another boy answers the door, scratching his head.

“Hey, Jooheon? Where’s Kihyun! I have something to show him.”

“Oh, he’s right-”

Minhyuk finally catches up, softly breathing sporadically. The blonde finally regains balance and flips his hair back, only for his eyes to widen comically. “ _Acid kid._ ”

Changkyun looks back at him confused.

“Oh, shit! You’re uh…” Jooheon closes his eyes to think, snapping his fingers to jog his memory. “You’re the kid I ran into earlier? The one who dropped all of his stuff?”

Minhyuk blushed, Changkyun giggled and softly punched him in the side.

“Maybe so. And you’re the kid who wears shirts with colors so loud they manage to transcend the sound barrier?”

“I saw your work, pretty boy. It’s clear you’re an artist. I’d expect you to appreciate my color choices.”

“Purple pizzazz doesn't match cerulean and mustard, sweetheart.” He gestures up and down Jooheon.

“Crayola colors? For an artist, you sure seem you don’t know how to wear any other colors than neutrals.”

“Monochromatic greyscale work could be _very_ flattering, thank you.” Minhyuk smirks to add flair to his statement.

Jooheon chuckled. “Looking at you, it’s apparent.”

Minhyuk’s cheeks flushed and he quickly looked down to divert attention from his face. In the middle of it all, Kihyun walks out. “It’s ridiculously late and you're all _so_ loud.”

Jooheon rolls his eyes. “It’s not even nine yet, calm down.”

Kihyun properly acknowledges the guests for the first time. “And you’re both here why?

Changkyun’s eyes light up once again. “Kihyunnie, look!” he explains, shoving his hand into the pink haired’s face. It squeaks and somehow manages to immediately put Kihyun in a trance. “ _Who is this?_ ” Kihyun said in the lightest voice he has ever managed to create.

“His name is Ki! I decided on that because he looked like you.”

Kihyun’s demeanor changed. “He _doesn’t_ look like me.”

Jooheon laughed. “I mean, he has your cheeks.” Ki squeaked in response, causing Kihyun to shed a tear. He looked Changkyun in the eye and said, “I’m holding him.” before snatching him out of the youngest’s hand.

“So,” Jooheon inquired, “Why didn’t you just wait until the morning to show him?” He reaches out, asking Kihyun with his gestures if he could hold Ki before swooping him out of his hand.

“We were on the way to the pet store already to get things for hi-”

“Yes.” Kihyun cut Changkyun off.

“What?”  
“Oh, I thought you were inviting me.”

“Well I-”

“Which you should,” the pink haired starts. “I believe I should be able to choose the living situation as he as our son.”

The youngest is taken aback slightly. “ _Our son?_ ”

Jooheon face palms at the awkward atmosphere and Minhyuk rolls his eyes giving Kihyun a ‘ _you’re on your own with this one_ ’ look.

“I mean, you steal my name and say he looks like me. Sounds like he’s my son.”

Minhyuk and Jooheon shrug and nod. “I mean, that is pretty reasonable,” Minhyuk reassures. Jooheon pouts in response, twirling his fingers, “Does that mean I have to stay alone here?”

Kihyun nodded. “I mean, why not? You’ve done it before.”

“But I too want to help find things for my nephew.” He says while rubbing his head. Minhyuk rolls his eyes and laughs shaking his head. “You’re his uncle? Then what am I?”

“Obviously, also his uncle. We can just be married or something.”

Minhyuk’s face flushed the brightest color it could muster and he twirled his fingers so fast he started nervously sweating. Kihyun laughed at the rare sight of flustered Minhyuk.

“Anyway…” Changkyun took Ki from Jooheon’s hands. “I see no issue why you guys couldn’t join us. But we need to go like… now.” He grabs Kihyun’s hand and drags him out the door before he fully manages to put his shoes on his feet. Jooheon steps out and walks towards Minhyuk, placing his arm around him. Minhyuk wants to oppose the action but he can’t find it in him to tell the younger to stop. “You know,” Jooheon begins, “I never really got your name? In fact, the only thing I know about you is that you have great taste in music.” They stroll together.

“Lee Minhyuk, astronomy major, you?”

“Wow, same surname? Guess we really are married.” He pauses. “Lee Jooheon, philosophy major. Though, you don’t feel like you’re wasting talent? Considering you’re a pretty great artist, by the looks of it, and you’re not majoring in anything where you could utilize it?”

“It’ll keep my parents quiet for a while longer, so I guess I don’t mind it for now.”

Jooheon nods. “I suppose that makes sense.” They notice Changkyun and Kihyun have vanished, and Jooheon removes his arm from Minhyuk’s shoulder, placing his hand in Minhyuk’s. “Shall we?”

The older raises an eyebrow. “Please, I don’t run.”

“Well,” Jooheon smiles. “There’s a first time for everything!” He bolts off dragging Minhyuk along with him, who’s letting out a mix of shrieks and giggles.

And so they were off, Minhyuk completely forgetting about his prior stress. Maybe, this is good for him.


	3. I Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! i hope you have enjoyed what ive written so far! i just had a few things to say!! i wanted to promote my friends’ accs who write on here as well. theyre extremely talented and they continue to inspire me to write. @jiminchoos and @sugaahope i love you guys!! as for the actual thing i had to say regarding this book, i just wanted to warn you guys for pov switches. i wrote the past chapters in third person but this one wont be!! just a heads up!! but dont worry; ill warn you all when i do change povs between characters! enjoy!

 

**Minhyuk’s POV**

If someone were to ask me how I envisioned this night going, this would  _ not _ have been how I answered. I tried to keep my mind off of the elephant of the room as it seemed to slip Changkyun’s mind and the other two didn’t know (and I didn’t plan on telling them either). My mind was in a constant game of tennis, as usual, and I happened to be both teams. On the other side of my mind, I was thinking about the kid next to me, who seemed to be talking to me but all words entered through one ear and escaped the other. I was absent mindedly nodding along, only to notice that he had just asked me a question. “Oh, I-” He cut me off with a light laugh. 

“I assume you weren’t listening, but that’s okay. I was just asking why I haven’t met you yet. You’re Changkyun’s best friend, and he happens to be my best friend’s roommate, so I would have expected us to meet earlier.” 

“So I guess I am just a chauffeur to you,” Kihyun yelled back in response to Jooheon not calling him his best friend. 

“Yeah, and a pretty bad one too, considering it has been 20 minutes and we haven’t reached the pet store that’s five minutes away.” I held back a laugh. Jooheon is kind of funny, but I don’t think I should let him know that I think so. Kihyun, however, wasn’t as humored as I. 

“I could drop you off on this curb right now and we all know it would take you a good two days to figure out which direction our dorms are even in. Besides, we’re stopping elsewhere first. Just stop talking and wait and see.” Kihyun recentered his focus on the road and Changkyun holding their ‘son’.

 

“To answer your question,” I looked back at Jooheon, “I don’t really actively associate with anyone outside of Changkyun, and my other friends Shownu and Wonho.” 

Kihyun groaned. “You guys really hate me today. I should just kick you out of my car.” I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see. 

“You sure have a lot to say for someone who’s foot can barely reach the gas pedal.” I was caught off guard by Jooheon’s laughter. “You’re pretty funny,” he says while he laughs. His dimples were the most prominent then, and it was honestly pretty cute. I chuckled a bit myself. He seemed like a fun person to laugh with, and maybe I could see him being a good friend of mine in the future if I naturally wasn’t beyond awful at making friends. 

The car stopped, and we all habitually climbed out even though I personally had no clue where we were. I looked up at the bright sign reading “ _ Monboba _ ” illuminating the entire area we were in. 

 

“My  _ original _ plan was to treat you all to bubble tea but since half of you find that being disrespectful to me is a fun past time, you can treat yourselves,” Kihyun said with a sarcastic smile as we entered the building. Changkyun pouted in response, still holding Ki, and the pink haired patted his back to reassure that he would still pay for him. I let out an awkward laugh to myself as Changkyun and Kihyun began ordering. “What are you planning on getting?” I looked in Jooheon’s direction to politely answer his question. 

“I would’ve just gotten strawberry, but I don’t know if I want to spend that much money tonight on food, you?” Jooheon nodded in agreement. “I agree, I wanted strawberry too.” He looked down briefly. “We could always just order one and split it, since we have the same taste and desire to save money?” 

That was fairly thoughtful of him. Even though he would get something out of the offer as well, he didn’t have to be that considerate. “Yeah, that sounds reasonable.”

“Great! I’ll order, you go sit with the others.”

I joined Changkyun and Kihyun, both gushing over Ki running on the table while getting disapproving looks from the store manager. Jooheon followed quickly after and sat with us while he waited for the server to call for our drink. There was only one drink, chocolate milk tea, on the table which I naturally assumed was Changkyun’s until I saw Kihyun taking his fair share of sips as well.

 

“ _ Joohyuk! _ ” Jooheon stood up and walked quickly to get the drink and returned seconds later. 

“Wow, we met 30 minutes ago and here we are, already sharing drinks and names,” I said as a joke as Jooheon took his first sip and responded. “Yeah, we’re practically dating.” We both laughed at each other.

“It’s called frugality. How romantic.” Changkyun giggled at the sarcastic comment Kihyun had such ‘cleverly’ placed once again. 

“Oh yeah?” Jooheon started, placing his hand out for Ki to run into. “And what's  _ that _ called?” he points at the milk tea Kihyun was enjoying. 

“Fatherhood.” We all laughed together, and Kihyun joined in laughing as well. “Besides, we wouldn’t bow down and name our drink something as stupid as ‘ _ Joohyuk. _ ’” Kihyun took another small sip while Changkyun added on, “Yeah, instead ours was Changki,” the youngest said with a smile. Kihyun choked on his drink and his face transitioned into a deep blush, while Jooheon and I almost burst lungs laughing which only caused Kihyun to blush more. It was fun to watch Changkyun be oblivious to the transparency of Kihyun’s feelings, and Kihyun think that he keeps them opaque. I’m sure Changkyun wouldn’t be opposed to dating Kihyun, and who knows, he may like him too. I just know Changkyun’s lonely and looking for someone, missing who’s right in front of him. 

I reached down to grab my sketchbook and pencil, with me at all times, and started drawing a scene. I drew us at the pet store. A quick doodle of Changkyun placing a kiss on Kihyun’s cheek; platonic enough that Changkyun wouldn’t think much of it, but romantic enough that Kihyun would melt into a pile of nothing more than love and tears. Young love, cute.

 

—————————————————————

 

Back in the car, I tried to be more friendly towards Jooheon. I was never mean to him, but rather uncomfortable; nothing personal towards him, that’s just how I am, I guess. In the front seat, Kihyun had just managed to put his arm around Changkyun while driving with the other. 

“Look,” I whispered to Jooheon. 

He cooed in response. “They’re so cute… do you think Kihyun likes Changkyun?”

I laughed back. “Think? I  _ know _ he likes Changkyun.”

“For how long do you think?”

“Hm… maybe two years.”

He gasped and looked at me with bulging eyes. “That’s… so long.”

“I know, might even be longer.”

We looked back at the couple, fearing Kihyun would end up paying more attention to Changkyun than the road in front of him.

“You know,” Jooheon whispered, putting his arm around me, “We could always help them out?”

“No.” I said immediately. I didn’t want to meddle, I never do. Meddling puts people in problems that they do not have any business being in. I would never meddle… other than directly meddling by drawing a scenario that included Changkyun kissing Kihyun in a pet store. Did that… count? They wouldn't know, and I could pretend I didn’t. I can’t believe these abilities were discovered barely hours ago and they are already being abused. “Well…” I really was willing to involve myself into my best friend’s love life alongside a stranger, just to see two people smile? “Fine, why not.” I guess I was.

“Great! Should we… leave them alone at the pet store so they can spend time with each other?” Jooheon said in the quietest voice he could muster. I nodded as there was no reason to vocalize a full response. Not long after, we arrived at the pet store. As I was unbuckling my seat belt Jooheon found it wise to yank me out of the car door and pull me into the store before Changkyun and Kihyun even got out.

“What the fuck!” I exclaimed quietly. “I told you I  _ don’t _ run.”

I would've remained genuinely mad for quite some time, had not Jooheon flashed his beautiful smile managing to cause me physical pain. “I wanted us to get away from them as quickly as possible, so they could get as much alone time together as possible.”

“Changkyun and I are  _ literally _ coming over tomorrow, I am sure they’ll spend plenty of time together.”

“The more the merrier!”

 

I rolled my eyes and smirked as I mindlessly walked towards the fish. One of them filled it’s cheeks up with water once it saw me and I giggled. “It looks like you, Heoney,” I said in between laughs. We both froze at how I so naturally gave him a nickname without even thinking twice. He didn’t acknowledge it, and just smiled at the fish who managed to mimic his dimples as well.

He then took me over to the kittens. “This one reminds me of you,” he said, eyes glistening. The kitten was a sleeping tabby that happened to be angry at us for waking it. Jooheon reached out to pet it, only to get clawed at in return. He flinched at the pain and laughed in attempt to disguise he was hurting. “See, just like you.” I would have laughed, but I was too worried about Jooheon’s bleeding knuckles. 

“Stay here Jooheon, I’m going to find a bandage.”

Walking off to aisle one where I would find customer service, I found Changkyun and Kihyun in aisle three. The surroundings matched my drawing, and the accuracy was beyond uncanny when Changkyun kissed Kihyun’s cheeks. “ _ Wow, _ ” I muttered under my breath, as Kihyun’s cheeks flushed. I kept walking, secretly smiling once again at my newly found abilities. 

 

“Excuse me, do you have any band aids and wound cleaning solution?” The consultant turned around and I jumped back. She looked oddly familiar, but in an abnormal way. I had no clue where I knew her from, but something about her didn’t seem right. 

She passed me the cleaning solution with bandages and responded to me in a completely unfamiliar language that I somehow managed to understand. I walked quickly back to Jooheon, wiping off the purple condensation that appeared on the items I had just received. 

Jooheon had still been playing with the cat, even though it was what gave him the injury in the first place; he seemed very forgiving in nature. “Hey Mi- what’s wrong?” He noticed my change in demeanor immediately, catching me off guard because I thought I had hid it well. “Oh I- n-nothing I-” I didn’t know why I was stuttering; I suppose I was just genuinely shocked that someone had noticed my mood switch... I usually hide it very well. Was I not hiding well enough? Was Jooheon just  _ that _ knowledgeable? “I have the… here.” 

I took his hand and applied the wound cleaning solution to his knuckles. He flinched in pain, but took deep breaths to refrain from reacting anymore. Once I placed the wide bandage over his knuckles, he started swinging his arm pretending his bandage was Spiderman's web shooter and chasing after me. I gasped and started running instinctively as I felt a smile plastered on my face. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I couldn’t help the giggles from escaping my mouth as well.

_ Squeak. _

I looked back once I heard the ridiculous Spiderman sounds fade away only to see Jooheon managed to trip over a toy. I smiled even wider at his lack of coordination.

“Mr. Stark… I don’t feel so good.” He said as I kneeled down to his level. 

“Glad to know I’m not the only one who trips on inanimate objects.”

He rolled his eyes. “Shut up,” He pulled me down to the ground and laughed. “Now you’ve fallen  _ twice _ today.”

Changkyun and Kihyun approached not long after, Kihyun holding Ki in a newly purchased blue tinted hamster ball. “We’re re- oh,” Changkyun started. “Well, it seems that  _ they  _ might not be,” interrupted the pink haired. It took a moment for me to register what Kihyun meant, until I noticed I was laying on top of Jooheon in the fourth aisle of a pet store. I rose quietly, rethinking  _ what the hell had just happened _ , and walking away without a word. Jooheon rose as well and started to talk with Kihyun, and Changkyun ran to catch up with me. 

“Hey! Look!” He showed me the seven bags of hamster supplies and toys he was holding. 

“Do you… need help with that?” I knew he would say no, but there were more bags than there were Changkyun, so I took some myself. Kihyun would have helped, but he was dedicated to keeping the hamster safe. “By God, Kyunnie, how much did you guys end up spending?”

“Only about $275… but Kihyun paid for a little over half! I bought the rest with my allowance from Shownu hyung that I’ve been saving.”

“I still cannot believe you literally get allowance from Shownu.”

He giggled. “Yeah, $15 every two weeks,” He paused before continuing on. “He said it’s because he knows I won’t get money any other way because you know… my parents… and the job thing.” I nodded. “It’s very helpful but I guess I can’t help that feel guilty everytime he gives me money… even though I need it.” 

“Well, if Shownu insists on giving you money, you shouldn’t feel guilty since it’s his choice, you know? Don’t worry, it’s all okay, forget about your parents. You’re safer here with us, and now you even have a son!” He laughed and I gave him a pat on his back. Changkyun doesn’t like talking about himself, so I only know a little about his family; however, it was more than enough for me to know that they don’t deserve to have a kid as amazing as him.

“Thank you, Minhyuk,” he said, as he and I started putting bags in the trunk. 

 

He got in the passenger seat, and I got in the back while we waited for the other two to join us. I plugged in my headphones, turned the volume up to 100%, and shuffled my music.

_ I Wait by DAY6 _ .

I leaned back and closed my eyes; it was getting late and I was tired of socializing, so I just wanted to listen to my music. 

Halfway through the chorus, I felt one of my headphones fall out, and I looked to the right to notice that Jooheon had joined me in the back seat.

“Mind if I share?”  _ He didn’t even know what I was listening to.  _

“I mean… you don’t know what I am listening to. What if it isn’t something you want to hear?”

“Well, what you don’t know about me, because you’ve met me only a few hours ago, is that I will listen to  _ anything… _ and your music is at full blast… so I know you’re listening to DAY6.”

I had nothing to say after that, so I just passed him the other headphone and closed my eyes again. I hated to admit that there was something serene about hearing Jooheon sing along quietly to the music as it played. He knew all of the songs that played from my phone, and my music is quite diverse. I guess our music taste is quite similar.

 

We arrived back at the dorms soon enough, and walked Kihyun and Jooheon back to their dorm. Changkyun passed Ki on for me to hold, so that Kihyun could hold his hand. 

“Minhyuk hyung, look at them; they’re so cute and they don’t even realise it.” I nodded to Jooheon’s observation.

“They really are. You know, I saw Changkyun kiss Kihyun’s cheek in one of the aisles,” I said, pretending like I wasn’t the reason it happened.

Jooheon’s eyes doubled in size. “WHAT?”

His scream caused Changkyun and Kihyun to glance back at us in confusion. 

“Quiet down… and yeah, it was cute.”

“Do you think they…”

“Dating? No… at least, not yet. I know Changkyun well enough to know I’d be the first person he would tell if they were together.”

“Wow. You two are really close, huh.”

“Yeah, I consider him my brother.”

“That’s cute.”

I smiled and glanced at him walking in front of me. “Yeah, he is. I’m proud of him.”

“You are, too,” Jooheon replied, “And I’m proud of you as well.”

“Me? Why… you don't know enough about me to even think about being proud of me.”

“I don't know… there's something about you. I’m good at reading people enough to know that you're someone to be proud of. You seem like you don't give yourself enough credit for being as good of a person as you are.”

I constantly forget how emotional I am until I encounter something that makes my heart pound as much as he just did.

“I-” 

“You don’t have to say anything.”

I smiled back at him, closing my eyes to prevent the welling up tears from falling. I don’t know why a stranger telling me he’s proud of me made me feel like a permanent resident of cloud nine, but it truly did. “Thank you.”

When we reached his dorm, I hated to admit how much I would miss him. I knew I would see him tomorrow, but I wanted to spend more time with him. I wanted to know his likes and his dislikes, his favorite colors, things that never fail to make him smile, his best memories; I wanted to know what exactly truly makes Jooheon who he is. 

But he didn’t need to know that.

“Goodnight, Jooheon,” I said, saying goodbye to him as Changkyun said goodbye to Kihyun. “You really made tonight… interesting.”

He laughed and said, “Touché. I have a single favor to ask of you, though.”

“What is it?”   
“Wait for me before you make Kihyun’s DAY6 playlist.”

I responded between laughs, “Okay, that shouldn’t be an issue at all.”

“We won’t hold you guys up anymore; it’s almost eleven, you guys should get some sleep,” Jooheon said while grabbing onto Kihyun’s arm to get his attention. The pink haired had hearts in his eyes and it was hard to determine whether they were at Changkyun or the hamster (though, it would be safe to assume both).

“Don’t worry! We will be just fine,” the youngest replied. “You guys get some rest too, and we will see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, we will see you both tomorrow. Jooheon’s bright shirts and Kihyun’s short stature.” 

Kihyun walked off yawing and rolling his eyes. “Whatever. Goodnight rats.”

“Takes one to know one!” Jooheon yelled back. “Goodnight, Changkyun. And Minhyuk… deal?”

I nodded. “ _ I wait. _ ”

—————————————————————

“So, you like Jooheon?”

Why would Changkyun be talking to me about this? “What? Like Jooheon? I just met him today why would you have the impression that I li-”    
“Well, I meant as a friend, but given your defensive response, I’ve determined that there might be something  _ there _ too.”

I set myself up, I guess. “Shut up, and go to bed. Besides, I could say the same about you and Kihyun.”   
“Well… nevermind.”

“What? ‘Well’ what?”

He smirked. “You told me to shut up and go to bed. Goodnight, Minhyukie!”

I sighed in defeat. “Goodnight, Kyunnie.”


End file.
